Uncharted Your Sidekick for Life

In this special episode of Uncharted, we sit down with Dr. Bobby Robbins—physician, educator, and higher-education leader—to explore what modern university leadership requires in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Robbins is currently a Visiting Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He previously served as President of the University of Arizona and President & CEO of the Texas Medical Center, bringing together deep experience in medicine, research, and institutional leadership.

Trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Stanford, Dr. Robbins began his career saving lives one patient at a time before expanding his impact by leading large, complex institutions serving tens of thousands of students. In this conversation, he shares his philosophy on leadership, mentorship, student success, and why outcomes—not just credentials—matter.

We discuss the future of higher education, the role of universities in workforce readiness, the responsible use of AI, and why Texas A&M and the state of Texas are uniquely positioned to lead in research, innovation, and public impact.

This episode offers a thoughtful, grounded look at leadership, vision, and the responsibility of institutions shaping the next generation.

Host: Dan Dillard. Show: Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life.

About founding_up: https://www.foundingup.com/

Instagram:@foundingup https://www.instagram.com/foundingup/ 

In Part 3, Léonie Weerakoon shares her clearest advice for the next generation: stay curious, ask questions, and give yourself permission to evolve.

Léonie talks about building resilience inside real-life constraints, why authenticity is a long-term advantage, and how to think about career decisions without treating them like permanent life sentences. Dan connects it to a powerful Gen Z insight: wealth means choice.

We cover:

• Curiosity as a strategy (not just a personality trait)

• Authenticity + consistency when you feel pressure to fit a mold

• Permission to change without shame

• Why “choice” is the new wealth

We’re releasing this conversation in three parts so you can bite-size it.

About founding_up: https://www.foundingup.com/

About Kinetik VC: https://kinetikvc.com/

Part 2 of 3 • Mentorship

What if mentorship isn’t one person… but a lifetime of elders, cultures, mistakes, and questions?

In Part 2, Léonie Weerakoon explains how her cultural upbringing and traditions from travels to  storytelling shaped her view of learning, why most of her early “mentors” were men (and what that disconnect taught her), and how travel became her real teacher. She also talks about bad advice she was given—like hiding her non-linear background—and why that mindset doesn’t fit the next generation.

We cover:

• Sri Lankan culture, storytelling, and elders as mentorship

• Why Léonie never related to the “one mentor” model

• Learning from horrible bosses (what not to do)

• “The world as your mentor” and why it matters

• Why being “too many things” might be your an advantage

We’re releasing this conversation in three parts so you can bite-size it.

About founding_up: https://www.foundingup.com/

About Kinetik VC: https://kinetikvc.com/

Part 1 of 3 • The Map

Léonie Weerakoon grew up between continents—and it shows in how she thinks, builds, and moves.

In Part 1, Léonie shares her global upbringing (Austin, Vancouver, Luxembourg, Sri Lanka, New York), her early creative roots in fashion and design, and the unexpected academic detours that made her both an artist and a scientist. She also tells the origin story of how she ended up in the early days of Formula 1 in Austin, and why an operator mindset—paired with networking + curiosity—changed everything.

In this episode:

• Growing up with “four parents” and multiple home countries

• Creative roots: sewing machines, architecture, theater, design

• The education “cluster” that led to double majors

• Starting a company as a teenager

• The path into Formula 1 Austin

Part 3 of 3 • The Takeaways.

Neal closes the series with the lessons he wishes he’d known earlier: risk, belief, failure, translation, and keeping your creative spark alive.

Co-hosts: Natalie Peyton Neumann & Dan Dillard.

Part 2 of 3 — Mentorship. Neal unpacks the mentors who shaped his path—from harsh early bosses to the advisors who helped him bet on himself and move across the world. Co-hosts: Natalie Peyton Neumann & Dan Dillard.

Part 1 of 3 — The Map. From dyslexic kid in Northeast England to engineer, comedian, and Cisco’s higher-ed “translator,” Neal Tilley shares the early twists that shaped everything that came next. Co-hosts: Natalie Peyton Neumann & Dan Dillard.

Part 3 — The Takeaways with Amber Gunst

Failing forward under scrutiny, the right kind of vulnerability in leadership, guiding teams through layoffs/furloughs with care, mental-health habits (walking meditation, therapy when it counts), favorite reads, and Amber’s 45/15 deep-work cadence.

We cover:

• Failure under scrutiny & resilient self-talk

• Vulnerability vs. venting in leadership

• Crisis leadership: clarity, calm, compassion

• Mental health rituals that stick

• The 45 minutes on / 15 minutes off focus cadence

Chapters:

Part 3 intro — The tools

Failure, pressure, and learning fast

Vulnerability without dumping

Crisis leadership & furloughs done right

Mental health: therapy, walking meditation

The 45/15 work cadence

Books, heroes, closing takeaways

Guests: Amber Gunst @amberGunst

Host: Natalie Peyton Neumann @gnatpeyton

Co-host: Dan Dillard @DanDillard

Show: Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life

Promo: Founding Up — foundingup.com

#leadership #resilience #mentalhealth #productivity #deepwork #vulnerability #entrepreneurship #foundingup

Part 2 — Mentorship

Advice is cheap; mentorship is earned. Amber breaks down how she built a “board of brains,” asks busy leaders for targeted help, and structures warm introductions so people actually respond. We also get into negotiation prep—including the gender dynamics no one explains—and how to pick which advice to ignore.

We cover:

• Advice vs. mentorship (and how to ask)

• Warm intros that convert vs. “spray and pray”

• Fundraising prep: who to call for legal, finance, deck work

• Negotiation reps: practicing with men, asking for raises without flinching

Chapters:

Part 2 intro — Mentorship in the real world

Building a “board of brains”

Targeted asks & respecting people’s time

Warm intros > cold outreach

Fundraising mentors: legal/finance/product lanes

Negotiation practice & gendered norms

Close — tee up Part 3 (Playbooks & Pressure)

Host: Natalie Peyton Neumann — Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life

Co-host: Dan Dillard

Promo: Founding Up — foundingup.com

#entrepreneurship #mentorship #negotiation #fundraising #startups #womeninbusiness #careeradvice #austin #foundingup

Part 1 — The Map

From small-town Michigan and first-gen college to sales with an English degree, Amber Gunst moves to Austin during a recession, builds networks at the Chamber, and—within 11 months—steps into interim CEO at the Austin Technology Council.We talk about:• Why English → sales actually works• Building warm networks in a new city• Betting on commission is better than base• Jumping from IC to interim CEO (fast)

Host: Natalie Peyton Neumann

Co-host: Dan Dillard

Show: Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life

Promo: Founding Up — foundingup.com

#entrepreneurship #mentorship #careerpivots #austin #foundingup #womeninleadership #sales #nonprofit #ceo #genz #productivity